West Ham have burst into life in the last week of the transfer window and have now pounced on a collapsed Crystal Palace transfer as they close in on their brilliant Eberechi Eze replacement.
Five-and-a-half years ago West Ham swooped to beat Crystal Palace to an exciting star from the Championship.
His name was Jarrod Bowen and that hasn’t worked out too badly for the Hammers.
On the flip side, David Moyes was desperate to sign Eberechi Eze from QPR.
But money was tight at the time and the Hammers could only afford a loan deal, opting to bring in Said Benrahma instead as Crystal Palace signed Eze.
West Ham hijack collapsed Palace deal for Eze replacement
Both of those deals can be deemed successes, although Palace selling Eze on for £68m to Arsenal trumps West Ham’s small loss on Benrahma.
With Eze leaving Selhurst Park and Mohammed Kudus sold by the Hammers, Oliver Glasner and Graham Potter are both in desperate need of new attacking impetus.
That has certainly been brutally exposed in West Ham’s opening games, 3-0 and 5-1 defeats to Sunderland and Chelsea.
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Speculation has been rife Lucas Paqueta could also be sold by West Ham in the last week of the window.
The Hammers board confirmed Spurs, Villa and two Saudi clubs want Paqueta.
Everton have now also registered their interest in Paqueta too, according to reports.
Lucas Paqueta scores from long range in West Ham's Premier League defeat to Chelsea
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
In truth the Brazilian has been nowhere near his best for the best part of two years now.
One assist in the 27-year-old’s last 45 Premier League games is damning.
Paqueta showed he is capable of the sublime and the ridiculous with his stunning goal against Chelsea followed by mistakes on the edge of his own box which cost West Ham at the other end.
West Ham’s shocking start has clearly frightened the club’s owners into action in the transfer market.
After a hugely underwhelming window, it appears that is going to be bad news for Glasner’s Eagles.
Because West Ham have pounced on a collapsed Crystal Palace deal to close on their brilliant Eze replacement.
Eze replacement could now be West Ham’s Paqueta heir
And he could end up being the Hammers’ replacement for Kudus – and maybe even Paqueta.
While the Hammers were preparing to face Wolves in the Carabao Cup, the club have made a major breakthrough out of the blue.
Leading Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett has revealed Palace’s deal to sign Leicester attacker Bilal El Khannouss has collapsed.
Thanks in part to Leicester’s £15.5m sale of Mads Hermansen to West Ham, the Foxes no longer need to sell to satisfy PSR.
Dorsett says it would now take a deal totalling £35m to prise El Khannouss away, and Palace won’t be paying it.
Hammers in ‘advanced negotiations’ for El Khannouss
At the same time Dorsett was revealing that news, huge claims have been made about the 21-year-old’s possible next destination in his homeland Morocco.
According to claims emanating from the African nation, West Ham have immediately pounced and are in advanced negotiations to bring Nayef Aguerd’s international teammate to east London.
Other European clubs are also interested according to the report from Soccer212.
🚨EXCLU SOCCER212
🇲🇦 Après l’échec des discussions avec Crystal Palace, West Ham est désormais en négociations avancées pour recruter Bilal El Khannouss.
De nombreux clubs européens suivent de près le joyau marocain… affaire à suivre 👀✨ @WestHam @LCFC @CPFC #Mercato… pic.twitter.com/OhHVX5glYa
— SOCCER212 (@SCCR_212) August 26, 2025
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The news should not come as a huge shock given the Hammers have been linked with El Khannouss all summer.
Earlier this month it was reported West Ham had moved ahead of Leeds in the race for El Khannouss.
There was a blow for the Hammers when Spurs leapfrogged them.
But now it seems West Ham are back in for the star, who has been likened to Luka Modric.